Smoking cessation health centre

This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive

Your stop smoking fears debunked

Dreading the weight gain, bad mood or chance of failure? Think again.

WebMD Feature

Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks

You know you should stop smoking for your health's sake. So what's holding you back?

Maybe you’re afraid of the weight gain, that it will spoil your mood or that it won't work. However, what if that wasn't necessarily so?

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It's time to lay your stop smoking fears to rest once and for all. Here's what experts want you to know about why some of those fears aren't as bad as you thought and why none of them should keep you from stopping.

Fear: I’ll gain too much weight

Many people worry about gaining weight when they stop smoking. However, not everybody who stops smoking gains weight.

When it comes to stopping smoking, “there are some physiological effects that cause people to crave carbohydrates,” says Dr Michael Steinberg, director of a university tobacco dependence programme. “Nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so when people do stop smoking, they tend to have an increased appetite.”

However, if you do gain weight, the average gain is between 2.7kg (6lb) to 4kg (9lb), about half a stone - not the three or five stones that people fear.

Plus, you’d need to gain more than seven stones before you even start to diminish the benefits stopping smoking provides for your health, Steinberg says.

Weight gain typically happens early on, in the days and weeks when you’re withdrawing from nicotine.

If you use a nicotine replacement therapy such as a patch or gum, you tend not to even see much of a weight gain during those early weeks, Steinberg says. By the time you’ve withdrawn from the therapy, you’ll then be better able to tackle watching your weight a little more carefully.

If you’re still concerned, take steps to thwart weight gain by keeping your exercise routine up or launching a walking programme. Keep only healthy snacks available and replace empty-calorie carbs for healthier treats such as peanut butter or an apple or 30g (1oz) of Cheddar cheese with savoury biscuits.